Olympia Regional Airport
is a public use
airport located four nautical miles (7 km) south of the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
of
Olympia
The name Olympia may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games
* ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...
, a city in
Thurston County and the capital of the
U.S. state of
Washington. It is owned by the Port of Olympia. It is about one mile (1.6 km) east of
Interstate 5, actually within the boundaries of the city of
Tumwater
Tumwater is a town in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 25,350 at the 2020 census. It is situated near where the Deschutes River enters Budd Inlet, the southernmost point of Puget Sound; it also borders the state ca ...
which is south of and adjacent to Olympia. The airport was identified in the Washington State Department of Transportation Long Term Aviation Study as a field that could potentially serve to relieve
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport of increasing congestion.
Olympic Flight Museum
The Olympic Flight Museum is an aviation museum at the Olympia Airport in Olympia, Washington, USA. The museum has more than 10 vintage planes and helicopters on display, most of which are in airworthy condition. The museum also hosts the annual O ...
is located at the Olympia Airport, and Airlift Northwest, the region's air medical transport service uses the airport as one of its
medical helicopter bases; a large private-use heliport, known as Olympia Heliport is located on airport grounds.
Airnav.com: "Olympia Heliport (0WN4)"
/ref> The flight museum and the airport play host to a moderate sized air show each June.
The airport's industrial park, in extent, includes a U.S. Department of Commerce designated Free Trade Zone.
History
The airport served as a satellite of nearby McChord Field during World War II, and commercial aviation history at the Olympia Airport extends to the 1920s. The airport now supports large business jets, cargo aircraft, military helicopters and has a backup runway lighting system for uninterrupted operations. Olympia Airport also has an ILS (Instrument Landing System) and backup power system for operations during bad weather or low visibility. The Olympia VOR, located on the field, also provides Instrument Approaches into the Olympia Airport in low visibility conditions.
The FAA funded a $15 million improvement project that was completed in September, 2008. The work focused on runway line-of-sight improvements and enhanced taxiway and runway signage. In the late 1990s, the airport's runway protection zone was extended with the purchase of $5.5 million worth of land on each end of the primary runway, and an above ground fuel facility was constructed.
Facilities and aircraft
Olympia Regional Airport covers an area of at an elevation of 208 feet (63 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 17/35 is 5,500 by 150 feet with precision markings (1,676 x 46 m) and runway 8/26 is 4,157 by 150 feet with basic markings (1,267 x 46 m).air traffic control tower
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...
and a full-instrument landing approach system.
The field is home to fixed wing and helicopter flight instruction, major aircraft and oxygen maintenance facilities, the Washington State Patrol aviation division, and a key navigational aid (Olympia VOR) that is used by commercial flights inbound to Seattle-area airports, including Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, as well as use by general aviation aircraft in the region.
Cargo Carriers
See also
* Washington World War II Army Airfields
References
External links
Olympia Regional Airport
at Port of Olympia web site
*
*
{{USAAF 4th Air Force World War II
Airports in Washington (state)
Airport
Transportation buildings and structures in Thurston County, Washington
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Washington (state)